Presidency University, Kolkata

Presidency University

Logo of Presidency University
Motto	Excellence since 1817
Type	Public State University
Established	c. 1817;208 years ago (1817)
Accreditation	NAAC
Academic affiliations	UGC AIU
Endowment	₹68.1 crore (US$7.9 million) (FY2022–23 est.) [1]
Chancellor	Governor of West Bengal
Vice-Chancellor	Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty
Academic staff	221 (2024) [1]
Students	3,012 (2024) [1]
Undergraduates	1,653 (2024) [1]
Postgraduates	956 (2024) [1]
Doctoral students	403 (2024) [1]
Location	Kolkata , West Bengal , India 22°34′35″N88°21′44″E / 22.57639°N 88.36222°E / 22.57639; 88.36222
Campus	College street New Town Kurseong
Website	www.presiuniv.ac.in

Presidency University, formerly Presidency College, ^[2] is a public state university located in College Street, Kolkata. Established in 1817 as the Hindoo College, it was later renamed Presidency College in 1855 and functioned as a leading constituent college under the University of Calcutta. It is widely regarded as one of the oldest and most prestigious places of higher education in India. Alumni of Presidency University include two Nobel laureates, leaders of the Indian Independence Movement, heads of state, Academy Award winners and pioneers in Bengali art and literature playing a pivotal role in shaping modern Indian and Bengal education and intellectual discourse.

In its first cycle as a university, Presidency received "A" grade with a score of 3.04/4.00 by the National Assessment and Accreditation Commission. ^[3] It has been recognized as an University of National Eminence by the University Grants Commission. ^[4] It was awarded an "A" grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in June 2024. The university received a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.13 out of 4, which is valid for five years. ^[5]

List of Vice Chancellors
Amita Chatterjee , 2010–2011 Malabika Sarkar , 2011–2014 Anuradha Lohia , 2014–2023 Subhro Kamal Mukherjee (acting), 2023–2024 Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty, 2024–Incumbent

History

The Presidency College in Calcutta, by Francis Frith.

The main entrance of the university at College Street

With the creation of the Supreme Court of Calcutta in 1773 many Hindus of Bengal showed an eager interest in learning the English language. David Hare, in collaboration with Raja Radhakanta Deb had already taken steps to introduce English language education in Bengal. Babu Buddinath Mukherjee advanced the introduction of English as a medium of instruction further by enlisting the support of Sir Edward Hyde East, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Fort William, who called a meeting of 'European and Hindu Gentlemen' at his house in May 1816. ^[6] The purpose of the meeting was to "discuss the proposal to establish an institution for giving a liberal education to the children of the members of the Hindu Community". The proposal was received with unanimous approbation and a donation of over Rs. 100,000 was promised for setting up the new college. The 5 Babus who contributed the most in setting up the college with their donations were - Raja Gopi Mohun Deb of Shovabazar Raj, Maharaja Tej Chandra of Bardhaman Raj, Raja Gopi Mohan Tagore of Pathuriaghata, Babu Joy Krishna Singha of Jorasanko, and Babu Ganga Narayan Das. Raja Ram Mohan Roy showed full support for the scheme, but chose not to come out in support of the proposal publicly for fear of "alarming the prejudices of his orthodox countrymen and thus marring the whole idea". ^[7]

At first, the classes were held at Gorachand Bysack house called Garanhatta (later renamed 304, Chitpore Road), which was rented by the college. In January 1818 the college moved to 'Feringhi Kamal Bose's house in Chitpore. ^[8] From Chitpore, the college moved to Bowbazar and later to the building that now houses the Sanskrit College on College Street. ^[9]

Transformation to university

On 19 March 2010, the West Bengal Government passed the Presidency University Bill, 2009 in the State Legislative Assembly. ^[10] On 7 July 2010, the Governor of West Bengal, M K Narayanan gave his assent to the Presidency University Bill. ^[11] On 23 July 2010, the Government of West Bengal published the gazette notification completing all the legal formalities for presidency to become a full university. ^[12] Amiya Bagchi was given the responsibility of chairing a committee set up to select and appoint the first vice-chancellor of the university. Amita Chatterjee, a retired professor of philosophy at Jadavpur University, was appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor of Presidency University on 5 October 2010. ^[13]

In 2011, Higher Education Minister Bratya Basu suggested that a mentor group, along the lines of the Nalanda mentor group, would be formed to oversee the work of the university. At the beginning of June 2011, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, announced that a committee would be formed with Amartya Sen as its chief mentor and Harvard-based Sugata Bose as its chairman to oversee the running of the college and perform the task of appointing all its officials and faculty members. The Presidency mentor group ^[14] also includes as its members 2019 Economics Nobel Prize winner Abhijit Banerjee, Ashoke Sen, Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, Nayanjot Lahiri, Himadri Pakrashi, Rahul Mukerjee and Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Swapan Kumar Chakravorty. Sukanta Chaudhuri resigned from the committee in 2012. ^[15]

The entrance of the campus is marked with a small guardhouse on the left. On the wall of the guard room is a plaque dedicated to durwan (guard) Ram Eqbal Singh, who died defending the institute from rioters. ^[16] The university held its bicentenary celebrations in 2017. ^{[17] [18] [19]}

Organisation structure

Governance

Like every state university in West Bengal, Presidency University is headed by the chancellor, who is the Governor of West Bengal. ^[20] The vice-chancellor is the academic and administrative head of the institution. The post of the vice-chancellor replaced that of the principal after Presidency College received university status. Professor Anuradha Lohia was the first permanent vice-chancellor of the institution. ^[21] The current Registrar of the university is Dr. Debajyoti Konar. ^[22]

The Controller of Examinations, the Chief Librarian, the Finance officer and the Dean of students, along with the Dean of Arts and the Dean of Sciences, are the other important office holders of the university. ^[23] The university is guided by a mentor group. The Mentor Group is chaired by Sugata Bose, the Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University. Nobel Laureate and economist Amartya Sen serves as the Advisor to the chair. ^{[24] [25]}

List of Principals

Principals of Presidency College J. Kerr, 1842–1848 David Lester Richardson, 1848–1849 E. Lodge, 1849–1852 J. Sutcliff, M.A., 1852–1856 Leonidas Clint, 1856–1857 E. Lodge, 1857–1858 J. Sutcliffe, M.A., 1858–1863 W. Grapel, 1863–1864 J. Sutcliffe, M.A., 1864–1875 H. Woodrow, 1875 C. H. Tawney, 1875 J. Sutcliffe, M.A., 1875 Alfred Croft, 1876 C. H. Tawney, 1876–1881 G. Bellet, 1881–1882 John Elliot, 1882–1883 Alexander Pedler, 1883 John Elliot, 1883 G. Bellet, 1883 John Elliot, 1884–1885 C. H. Tawney, 1885 W. Griffiths, 1885–1886 C. H. Tawney, 1886–1887 Alexander Pedler, 1887 C. H. Tawney, 1887 Alexander Pedler, 1887–1889 C. H. Tawney, 1889 Alexander Pedler, 1889 Frederick James Rowe, 1889 C. H. Tawney, 1889 W. Griffiths, 1892–1896 Alexander Pedler, 1896–1897 J. H. Gilliland, 1897 Frederick James Rowe, 1897–1898 J. H. Gilliland, 1898 Frederick James Rowe, 1898 William Booth, 1898 A. Clarke Edwards, 1899–1902 Prasanna Kumar Roy, 1902 A. Clarke Edwards, 1902–1903 Prasanna Kumar Roy, 1903 A. Clarke Edwards, 1903 M. G. D. Prothero, 1904–1905 Prasanna Kumar Roy, 1905–1906 Alexander Macdonnell, 1906 A. Clarke Edwards, 1906–1907 Henry Rosher James, 1907–1909 Hugh Melville Percival, 1909 Henry Rosher James, 1909–1911 C. W. Peake, 1911–1912 Henry Rosher James, 1912–1916 William Christopher Wordsworth, 1916–1917 John Rothney Barrow, 1917–1924 William Christopher Wordsworth, 1924 H. E. Stapleton, 1924–1926 T. S. Sterling, 1926–1927 Professor Abdul Khalek M.A, 1927–1929 John Rothney Barrow, 1929–1930 Jahangir Cooverjee Coyajee, 1930–1931 Bhupatimohan Sen, 1931–1934 Bhupatimohan Sen, 1934–1936 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1936 Bhupatimohan Sen, 1936–1942 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1942 Bhupatimohan Sen, 1942–1943 Apurbakumar Chanda, 1943 Jyotirmoy Ghosh, 1943–1944 Apurbakumar Chanda, 1944 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1945–1946 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1946–1947 Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda, 1947 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1947 Jogischandra Sinha, 1947 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1948 Jyotirmoy Ghosh, 1948–1950 Jyotishchandra Sengupta, 1950 Jyotirmoy Ghosh, 1950–1951 Jyotishchandra Sengupta, 1951–1956 F. J. Friend-Pereira, 1956–1958 Sanat Kumar Basu, 1958–1967 Rajendralal Sengupta, 1967–1969 Samerendranath Ghoshal, 1969–1970 Sudhir Chandra Shome, 1970 Pratul Chandra Mukherjee, 1970–1975 Sudhir Chandra Shome, 1975–1976 Pratul Chandra Mukherjee, 1976–1979 Bijoy Shankar Basak, 1979–1982 Achinta Kumar Mukherjee, 1982–1986 Sunil Kumar Rai Chaudhuri, 1986–1991 Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay, 1991–1997 Nitai Charan Mukherjee, 1997–2000 Amitava Chatterjee, 2001–2005 Mamata Ray, 2005–2008 Sanjib Ghosh, 2008–2010 Amitava Chatterjee, 2010

Departments

In academics, the university consists of two faculties – the Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Sciences and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Both Faculties are headed by deans. A total of 16 departments function under the university. They are: Bengali, English, Hindi, History, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, Life Sciences, Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics. ^{[23] [26]}

Departments of Presidency University

Bengali Life Sciences Chemistry Economics

English Geography Geology Hindi

History Mathematics Performing Arts Physics

Philosophy Political Science Sociology Statistics

Institute of Health Sciences School of Astrophysics

Rankings

During its tenure as a college, formal national ranking systems like the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) were not in place. However different news outlets ranked Presidency college as one of the leading institutes for humanities and natural sciences.

Ranking years	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Science	2nd [27]	2nd [27]	-	-	3rd [27]	2nd [27]	-	3rd [27]	4th [27]	8th [27]	3rd [27]	5th [27]	3rd [27]
Humanities	2nd [28]	2nd [29]	-	1st [30]	-	-	-	-	2nd [31]	6th [32]	4th [33]	7th [34]	6th [35]

Presidency University, Kolkata was in the inaugural list of the top 50 institutions in the National Institutional Ranking Framework(NIRF) in 2016. ^[36] In 2025, the university was ranked 124 in Asian University Rankings - Southern Asia. ^[37] The university was ranked 151-200 overall in India by the NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) in 2024. ^[38]

University rankings
General – India
NIRF (Overall) (2024) [39]	151-200

Notable alumni

See also: List of Kolkata Presidencians

Alumni of Presidency University include two Nobel Laureates in Economics, leaders of the Indian Independence Movement, heads of state, Academy Award winners, academicians and pioneers in Bengali renaissance.

References

1. "NIRF 2024" (PDF). Presidency University.
2. Chakraborty, Rachana (2012). "Presidency College". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
3. "Presidency university gets top NAAC rating". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
4. "Legacy of Presidency University". www.presiuniv.ac.in. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
5. "Presi awarded 'A' grade by NAAC". The Times of India. 19 June 2024. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 3 February 2025.
6. "Presidency University". www.presiuniv.ac.in. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
7. "Presidency University". www.presiuniv.ac.in. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
8. This building is a historic one because Raja Ram Mohan Roy inaugurated his Brahma Sabha there and Alexander Duff of the Scottish Missionary Board started his educational establishment, the General Assembly's Institution there as well a few years later in 1830.
9. "Ad Age Homepage - Ad Age". www.adageindia.in. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
10. Our Bureau (20 March 2010). "The Telegraph – Calcutta (Kolkata) | Frontpage | CM beats Mamata to Presidency". Telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
11. Presidency varsity bill gets governor's assent
12. Express News Service (24 July 2010). "Presidency University legal steps complete". Express India. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
13. "The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Frontpage | Comfort factor confines Presidency to home pool". Telegraphindia.com. 6 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
14. "Presidency Mentor Group". Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
15. "Sukanta Chaudhuri quits". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
16. "Presi guardian angel". The Telegraph, Calcutta. 14 April 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
17. "200 Years of a Legacy". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
18. "Archives with over 200-yr-old records on Presidency College inaugurated". 13 December 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
19. "Presidency University, Kolkata's eminent educational institution" . Retrieved 12 November 2023.
20. "Our Governor: Raj Bhavan, Kolkata". The Raj Bhavan, Kolkata. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
21. "Decks cleared for re-appointing Anuradha Lohia as the VC of Presidency University". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
22. "Presi Registrar invites nominees for VC". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
23. "Presidency - Organisation Structure". Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
24. "Quality faculty top priority: Presidency mentor group". The Hindu. 26 August 2011. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
25. "Presidency Mentor Group to reach out to brilliant students in". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 24 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
26. "Departments of Presidency University, Kolkata" . Retrieved 12 November 2023.
27. "web archive" (PDF).
28. "Best Colleges: 20 year toppers in Arts colleges". India Today. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
29. "Best Colleges: 20 year toppers in Arts colleges". India Today. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
30. "Best Colleges: 20 year toppers in Arts colleges". India Today. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
31. "Best Colleges: 20 year toppers in Arts colleges". India Today. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
32. "Best Colleges: 20 year toppers in Arts colleges". India Today. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
33. "Best Colleges: 20 year toppers in Arts colleges". India Today. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
34. "Best Colleges: 20 year toppers in Arts colleges". India Today. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
35. "Best Colleges: 20 year toppers in Arts colleges". India Today. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
36. "Presidency University, Kolkata: Courses, Fees, Admission 2024, Placements, Cutoff". www.shiksha.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
37. "Presidency University, Kolkata". Top Universities. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
38. "NIRF 2024 Overall ranking".
39. "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2024 (Overall)". National Institutional Ranking Framework . Ministry of Education. 12 August 2024.

External links

• Official website